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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26962612">The First Face This Face Saw</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/HouseSatis/pseuds/HouseSatis'>HouseSatis</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Space Girlfriends [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Post-Regeneration (Doctor Who), Post-Season/Series 10 Finale, Regeneration (Doctor Who)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 19:49:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,011</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26962612</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/HouseSatis/pseuds/HouseSatis</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor regenerates into her thirteenth incarnation - but this time, she isn't alone.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Thirteenth Doctor/Bill Potts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Space Girlfriends [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1974691</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The First Face This Face Saw</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello! huge thirteen/bill stannie over here! this is my first fic so I'd appreciate some feedback and thank you for reading :-)</p><p>EDIT: i had some problems with the html the first time i posted this so there were a few words missing here and there, so i just fixed it</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The world seemed to swirl around the Doctor as her vision focused, as those brand new eyes focused for the very first time on her surroundings - the TARDIS. </p><p>It seemed alright, all bookshelves and silver panels, "a posh kitchen" Bill had called it once. Bill! She'd been there not a minute ago! Where was she? Feeling dizzy, the Doctor tried turning around, making sure she still had both legs and arms, checking for the colour of her skin and the dreadful state of her clothes. Oh, how she had loved that coat! now she would definitely need a new one. Also, was there more hair on her head now than there used to? She ran her fingers through it for a second, checking for the new texture - it was much straighter than before, and had not been this long since her eleventh regeneration.</p><p>Slowly, she caught sight of someone else standing in the corner, somewhat half hidden near the staircase - Bill. She was shocked, that much the Doctor could guess by the look on her face. Absolutely stunned! The Doctor did not remember ever seeing the young woman speechless.</p><p>"Doctor?" Bill asked, and her voice shook through a tight throat, her own face still wet with tears after encountering the Doctor - her Doctor, the onde she'd travelled with - on the verge of regenerating. He hadn't told her about this process, not in detail, only that it was the Time Lords' way of cheating death and not at all pleasant. At the time, she'd thought nothing of it - they were being chased by space lizard creatures and the ceiling was just about to fall over their heads, there wasn't really much time for chatting. But now she wondered, was this what he had been talking about?</p><p>The Doctor looked at Bill, heard her say her name. "The first face this face saw", she pondered for a moment - not bad, not bad at all. A warmth spread through both her hearts then, and she wasn't sure if that was the regeneration energy still bursting through her body or just a sudden wave of tender comfort for not being alone at a time like this - it might have been both, really, the feeling was so astounding.</p><p>"Are you alright, Bill?" she asked, because the look on the girl's face was quite frankly unnerving, was her own new face really so strange as to require such a shock?! </p><p>"Are you alright?! I mean, you are ... aren't you? He was standing right there and then you appeared, so you must be, but you.." Bill trailed off, unable to finish her sentences, unable to believe what played out right in front of her eyes.</p><p>The TARDIS whirred then, and the monitor by the Doctor's side was turned off, allowing her to catch a glimpse of her own reflection for the first time - and then, well... then she understood.</p><p>"Oh, brilliant!" she smiled wide, analyzing the brand new features. "Well, that's a first!" she exclaimed, running for the console while the TARDIS continued to whirr and make all sorts of noises, clearly disturbed by the amount of regeneration energy that had just bursted through her. There were sparks shooting out of the console too, so that was bad! Everything was happening at once and the ship was spinning out of control, the Doctor did her best to negotiate with it and land on Earth, but it was a bumpy chaotic ride and things were flying everywhere. She'd forgotten to put the shields up, and so the ship was rocked hard once again as it went through the Earth's atmosphere, the impact flinging the door open. The Doctor held onto the console, but she needed help with the controls and there was only so much she could do with all that wind and objects flying through the air. She turned to Bill suddenly, who was still by the staircase, unsure of what to do.</p><p>"Bill, quickly!" the Doctor yelled through the noise "Press that button while I dial these coordinates, we're going to crash!"</p><p>There was a moment then, in all of that chaos, of complete stillness in between the two of them, and Bill looked into that stranger's eyes, looking for something, anything that reminded her of her own Doctor, her professor and friend. how could she answer this woman's call, when her heart still grieved for him, still looked for him around the console room, still waited for him to appear out of the blue, all clever smiles, curly grey locks and explaining everything like it all made complete sense?! Where was he? Where had he gone, and why had he left her all alone with this strange woman in his clothes? All of these thoughts and feelings rushed through her mind in that moment, and then she watched as the Doctor held out her hand - it was smaller now -, and said those same old words: "Trust me." With their eyes still locked while the whole world seemed to crash and swirl around them, Bill felt herself steady, felt her friend's presence still there somehow, just behind that woman's brand new hazel eyes - and she took her hand. </p><p>The moment of stillness was over then, and the noise of the wind and of the TARDIS struggling now seemed louder than ever. With a snap of her fingers, the Doctor shut the tardis door and then quickly dialed the approximate coordinates for where they should land - at this rate, just about any place would do! - while Bill pressed the blue button the Doctor had pointed to. Both of them looked up at the same time then, searching for each other amidst the confusion.</p><p>"Ready?" the Doctor asked, smiling, hand on the great silver lever that sent the tardis dematerializing with that splendid, whirring sound every single time.</p><p>"Ready." Bill smiled, out of breath and still holding tightly to the Doctor's hand.</p><p>The Doctor pulled the lever, and suddenly the chaos was no more.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Will you stay with me, then?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Doctor arrives at a safe place where she is finally allowed to heal, and Bill comes to terms with the idea of regeneration and her new feelings for her friend, and wether or not they will remain together.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They had landed all in one piece, that much the Doctor was sure - and quite proud - of.</p><p>She'd had to pick some emergency coordinates in the rush of it all, never even knew the TARDIS had them! But however the method, the fact was that they were on Earth, and the TARDIS was calming down, whirring less and less now. Once they finally landed, Bill let go of the Doctor's hand and took a moment to sit down, hand on her chest, on one of the chairs in the console room - the whole thing had truly been quite a scare. Meanwhile, the Doctor ran on brand new - and definitely shorter - legs to the TARDIS door, eager to see where they had ended up. The view did not disappoint.</p><p>By the smell and feeling of it, that was Norway, and if her new eyes were at all reliable, then she knew the cabin standing a small distance away from the TARDIS. She'd been there long ago, during her eleventh incarnation, it was a nice little place she (he, at the time!) and River had come to a couple of times, when they managed to keep themselves away from trouble for long enough to actually spend some time together without running or chasing after anything other than each other. They had been nice, those days, that life. With a sharp pang to her hearts, the Doctor remembered her wife would be dead now, forever locked within the systems of the Library.</p><p>But the cabin stood nonetheless, ever so resilient, surrounded by the woods and nothing else, isolated from the world. River and the Doctor, they had agreed to always leave the house in order and well stocked, should one of them ever need it as refuge. Now, she hoped they had actually followed that agreement, because she felt her own consciousness wavering. Taking a few steps towards the cabin, the Doctor was reminded of her own fragility at this moment: she was not herself yet, there simply were echoes of who she had been all around, and a calling towards who she might become. But right now she could barely focus on these - she wasn't ready, still regenerating, still cooking.</p><p>Bill came running out of the TARDIS, looking around and perfectly enchanted by the view. "Oh my god, this is beautiful! Doctor, you never told me you had a home!" She smiled playfully, still unsure about how she felt towards calling that woman "Doctor". She was the Doctor, of course, that much was pretty clear, but it still felt strange to say it, like wearing a new pair of shoes for the very first time. There were a few steps at the front of the great cabin, and the Doctor held onto the handrail for balance, feeling herself slip in and out of consciousness as she went up the steps. She was quickly joined by Bill, who hesitantly offered an arm to help walk the woman inside. Once they were in and the door was locked, the Doctor exhaled in relief - they were safe, Bill was safe, she could finally allow herself to rest now.</p><p>The cabin still looked the same way it had the last time, all that time ago though she had no idea how much time had actually passed over here - time was funny that way, what with all the time travelling and timey wimey stuff, her eleventh incarnation and River might have been here only a week ago! There was no way to be sure, but either way, all seemed to be in order and the Doctor could feel Bill's expectant gaze from behind her.</p><p>"Doctor?" she asked again, getting used to the idea. The Doctor turned around, meeting her gaze once again.</p><p>"It's me, Bill, I promise you."</p><p>"Oh I know, I believe you! It's just... strange, you know? Half an hour ago you were a white-headed scotsman, for god's sake!" Bill laughed, trying to sound less nervous than she really was but the Doctor's eyes were fluttering weakly and that didn't help.</p><p>"Are you alright though, Doctor? I mean, really?"</p><p>"I'm still regenerating, Bill." the woman replied, a hand on her own chest as a reaction to a sudden wave of pain. "The whole body changed but it's still happening, could take days. I'll be fine in the end, I hope... But right now..." she paused suddenly.</p><p>"Doctor?"</p><p>"Sixty seconds." the Doctor said abruptly, sticking a finger up her nose "Can you catch me?!"</p><p>"What?!" Bill went over to her, absolutely lost as to what was happening</p><p>"No, wait. Fifteen seconds!"</p><p>"Fifteen seconds to what?!"</p><p>"Oh, this new nose is <em>so</em> reliable!" the Doctor exclaimed sarcastically right before passing out, and Bill was just in time to catch her</p><p>-</p><p>The hours seemed to pass slowly but surely in that strange cabin at what felt like the very edge of the world, away from everything. After managing to carry the Doctor, who had firmly passed out, to the closest bedroom, Bill removed the torn coat from her and the boots that now seemed too big, and accomodate her on the bed, resisting the urge to tuck her in because the woman's body was clearly burning up with a fever, and her face glistened slightly with sweat. After tending to her friend, it was a matter of exploring the rooms in the cabin, and figuring out where things were supposed to be, because god knew how long the Doctor would be unconscious! It might be days, or so she had told her, and the idea of being all alone with someone going through such a critical, scary and complex physical process scared Bill a bit - what if something went wrong?! She would need to keep an eye on this new Doctor of hers and hope for the best, as they were probably many hours away from any sort of human civilization.</p><p>The bathroom was the room she was most grateful to find, the last few days had been chaotic and she needed a shower, badly. The bathtub was really something, too, and big enough for two. Though there was no luxury in that cabin, it was nicely furnished and Bill noticed through small details that it probably didn't belong to the Doctor - he (she?!) didn't seem like the type to worry about carpets and drapes, nice armchairs or a big bathtub. Or maybe he had, once. Maybe he'd lived here a while ago, perhaps with someone else? That was a strange thought, and Bill pushed it to the back of her mind, leaving a mental note for herself to ask the Doctor about all of this when she recovered. "When will <em>that</em> be?" she wondered.</p><p>Going through the bedroom closets again, she came to the conclusion that either they had broken into a woman's house, or the Doctor had been a woman before and lived here, or the Doctor somehow had a wife and lived here with her - the closets were almost empty, but there were a couple of clothes left, the sort you would wear to stay at home, all cozy and comfortable, and they most certainly didn't seem like they belong to the Doctor she knew before. Nevertheless, Bill was exausted and the clothes did seem very nice and clean - she hoped the woman, whoever she was, wouldn't mind it if she borrowed them, and grabbed some pants and a sweater to put on after a well deserved shower. Stealing one last glance at the Doctor as she was just leaving the bedroom, Bill noticed strands and flecks of what seemed to be pure, beautiful golden light emanating from her skin where it showed, wavering sofly. "It's still happening", she remembered the Doctor say.</p><p>-</p><p>They had arrived in the morning, and now Bill watched as the sun set. By then, she had long figured out the kitchen cabinets and the oven, the closets, the garden and some of the surrounding woods, and was calmer. There was still the shed at the back of the cabin, but that was locked and she felt too tired to even look for a way in. Bill was sitting, curled up on a cozy armchair and sipping a nice big mug of hot tea next to the bed where the Doctor lay, still faintly glowing in golden hues against the orange light of the sunset, and breathing deeply. If there was one thing Bill had learned from living with her fellow college students, it was that whatever had happened, you could always sleep it off, so it was probably best to leave the Doctor be, and care for her as well as she could considering she had no idea what was going on. Bill thought of the Doctor, the one she knew, and wept silently for the loss of her friend, for all he'd done for her, all he'd shown her and how much they had ran fast and laughed hard. He'd been kind to her, and she would never forget him or the tenderness of his blue eyes. By the time the moon shone through the window, she felt dry, like all her tears were gone and there was nothing left but that primal feeling of exaustion and the desire to surrender to it. Bill hesitated for a couple of minutes on wether she should sleep in the living room, or lie next to the Doctor - the bed was surely big enough for two, even three people. In the end, exaustion decided for her, and Bill remained on the armchair where she sat and closed her eyes.</p><p>She woke up the next morning, acutely aware of the Doctor's heavy breathing on the bed next to her. Bill got up quickly and checked for the woman's vital signs as best as she could, though the two separate heartbeats were very confusing and hard to track. Her skin didn't feel as hot anymore though, so that was probably a good thing, but she dampened a cloth in cold water from the kitchen and pressed it to her forehead anyway, just in case. While she did it, Bill couldn't help but gaze at her friend's new features - the blonde hair, the cheekbones, the birthmarks on her face and neck, the trembling of her eyes behind closed eyelids, the lips ever so slightly assymetrical. Lovely. She wondered where that face had come from. Bill stroked one cheek with her own thumb, feeling some tender compassion for that woman from another world, and left the bedroom.</p><p>-</p><p>The pantry room of the cabin was unexpectedly well stocked, and most things seemed strangely fresh though the place was absolutely deserted. Still, it all made for a very nice breakfast and, after surverying the garden and woods outside, Bill decided it was time to properly check on the Doctor, however scared she was to disturb her and the enigmatic process she was going through. Back in the master bedroom, Bill noticed the flecks of golden light emanating from the woman's skin were gone now, and there was only a subtle glow to her skin, which seemed appropriate - she was, indeed, brand new. Sitting carefully by the bed, Bill took the Doctor's hand again and squeezed it reassuringly.</p><p>"Doctor?" she asked. The woman's breath seemed to catch then, with something like recognition. Her eyes stopped fluttering for a moment, and then opened wide and quite suddenly, as if in shock.</p><p>"Sontarans. Changing the course of human history!" The Doctor shot up, startled.</p><p>"What's that?!" Bill responded, very confused.</p><p>"Allons-y!" the woman jumped from the bed, nearly falling off when she tripped on the covers.</p><p>"Doctor, no! Go back to bed, it's okay! Everything is okay, there's no one else here."</p><p>"Where's River?" The Doctor turned, looking around the room as if realizing her surroundings for the very first time.</p><p>"Who's River?"</p><p>The doctor did not reply.</p><p>"Look, Doctor, it's just us here, okay? Now please go back to bed, you need to rest!" Bill had no idea if she did actually need to rest more, but what else could she say?! And that woman's abruptness and confusion were startling her now, and she was afraid of what she might do.</p><p>Finally, the Doctor seemed to calm down and realize where they were. </p><p>"Oh, I remember..." she whispered, walking out of the bedroom and looking about, heading towards the bathroom. She found it soon enough, and Bill had to rush after her, worried she might fall off again. When at last she reached the woman, she was leaning over the sink, staring at her own face in the mirror most attentively, making all sorts of expressions. After a few moments of these, she turned around to face Bill, a smile on her face.</p><p>"So! What do you think?!" the Doctor asked, excitedly, arms outstretched.</p><p>Bill blushed, eyes wide and unsure of what to say. "Of what?!", she responded.</p><p>"Nice teeth, I think! Nice hair! Good eyes." she winked then, and turned back to the mirror, still smiling.</p><p>Bill laughed endearingly, sometimes she forgot her friend was an alien, a proper one, from a planet in outer space and who, of course, would find it most amusing to wake up one day with a different body.</p><p>"How are you feeling, then?"</p><p>"Well, I'm not sure who I am yet, but that's normal. All things considered, I think I'm doing quite well! Could've been taller though. Better focus on that next time." She scrunched up her nose and made a face. She stood like that, in thought, for a moment, and then her expression seemed to lighten, and the Doctor looked up again, wide eyed and apparently startled all over again, but this time there was no confusion in her eyes.</p><p>"Bill!" she exclaimed, and went over to her, arms open wide for a big hug.</p><p>Bill laughed, she hadn't hugged her previous Doctor very often, and he sure was much taller and not as loud as this one, but this - well, this felt nice. She held her for a moment, and might have lingered there for longer, but the Doctor was bursting with energy and wouldn't stop moving about.</p><p>"Oh, Bill, I'm so glad you're here. For a moment, I thought I'd lost you! How did we end up here?!"</p><p>"Hold on, you don't remember? Doctor, we nearly crashed! But then I took your hand and pressed a button, and here we were! In the middle of nowhere. I just hope we haven't broken into someone's house or something. We haven't by the way, have we?"</p><p>The Doctor smiled. "Oh no, this is mine!" Bill followed as she walked down the corridor and into the kitchen, searching for the pantry. "Me and the wife, we came here <em>ages</em> ago! Can't believe it's in such good shape!"</p><p>"The <em>wife</em>?!" Bill exclaimed. The idea of her previous Doctor having been married was strange, but she could've accepted that. This Doctor, though... Married? And with a <em>woman</em>?! The idea made her laugh nervously, and she wasn't quite sure why</p><p>"Oh, yes!" the Doctor responded, still going about the items in the pantry.</p><p>-</p><p>Half an hour later and they were in the back porch of the house, the Doctor fulfilling her wish for a fried egg sandwich while bill sipped on some creamy hot chocolate, and looked on at her new friend - she had so many questions, she didn't know where to begin. After the Doctor was finished eating and accepted a large gulp of Bill's mug, which left her with a chocolate mustache she wiped off carelessly with the back of her hand, the Doctor took a deep breath.</p><p>"I'm sorry, Bill. I should have taken you home first, everything just happened so fast..." she made an attempt at a smile, which came out awkward. "I can take you back but right now I'm still weak, and I'm not sure the TARDIS is recovered from the impact, I might have to fix a couple of things in there but I promise you, as soon as I do, I'm taking you home." she said it firmly, but there was something odd about her eyes which Bill almost recognized.</p><p>"Why? Don't you want me to stay?" Bill asked, feeling her own heart sink a bit at the idea.</p><p>The Doctor looked up, and Bill wasn't sure if the brightness in her eyes was some leftover regeneration energy still creeping about, or just expectancy.</p><p>"Do you want to stay?" she asked, simply.</p><p>"Yes! I mean, I wanna make sure you're okay, you know? I wouldn't just <em>leave</em> you all alone, Doctor!" Bill replied, throat tight and eyes tingling.</p><p>At this, the Doctor's face seemed to colour a bit. She was never comfortable with these moments.</p><p>"Well I just thought, because I changed..."</p><p>Bill saw it then, the awkwardness, the odd thing in the Doctor's eyes - resignation, sadness.</p><p>"Well, we change all the time, don't we? You never left me because of that."</p><p>"This is different, Bill. And I know it... I just want you to be sure. Not everyone can handle it well, and that's okay!"</p><p>"Well, not me, Doctor. But if you don't want me to stay, I can understand that."</p><p>The Doctor paused then, looking at her - she was so different. How long had it been, since they'd met? With all the time travelling back and forwards, it was hard to tell, but to her it felt like Bill had been there all along. And in a way, she had, hadn't she? At least in this lifetime of the Doctor's, Bill had been there since the very beginning, and through so much of the last one too. Maybe that was all that mattered.</p><p>"Will you stay with me, then?" the Doctor asked.</p><p>"Are you asking me to?" </p><p>"Yes" the Doctor smiled, she had risen from the chair and stood by Bill now, one hand outstreched once again. "Yes, I am."</p><p>"Then I will" </p><p>Bill took her hand, and they hugged once more, for longer this time - there was no rush, just the tenderness and pleasure of savouring a new beginning.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>leave a comment if you can! :-)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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